Norwegian pelagic vessel Vestviking has been rigged with a set of Vónin fishing gear and has done well on blue whiting in spite of its modest engine power.
‘We were looking for a strong trawl with a big opening, which is a challenge with only 3260hp,’ said skipper Karl Oskar Njåstad.
The solution was a 1728 metre Vónin Capto trawl and a pair of 10 square metre Tornado doors replacing Vestviking’s older 13 square metre pelagic trawl doors.
‘The trawl’s performance has surpassed all our expectations. The trawl is easy to work and light to tow. The fishing has been good and the 188 by 105 metre opening has given us some good catches,’ he said.
‘We have done four trips in four weeks, which is something we have never been able to do before, and we have been taking bags of up to 700 tonnes – and we haven’t broken a mesh.’
